Alexander Slavutsky: "Right now, there is some kind of small bacchanalia happening in the theater world."

      Artistic Director of the Kachalovsky Theater — on updating performances and a young environment

      Slavutsky has been with the Kachalovsky Theater for 33 years, since February 18, 1994. Photo: Press Service of the Kachalovsky Theater

      Artistic Director — Director of the Kachalovsky Theater in Kazan, Alexander Slavutsky, invited journalists to summarize the season. Over a cup of tea, he traditionally criticized other theaters, contemporary dramaturgy, and talked about how he refreshes the "hits" of Kachalovsky with young blood. Meanwhile, his son, actor and director Ilya Slavutsky, is currently looking for new artists in Moscow for his production. More details in the article "Real Time."

      "People have gone mad, managing two or three theaters..."

      At the beginning of the meeting, Alexander Slavutsky asked the executive director and assistant artistic director for literary affairs, Dilyara Khusainova, how many years he has been working at Kachalovsky. "You've been here since '94," Dilyara Masgutovna quickly replies, who traditionally serves as a reference point. The artistic director can always ask her something — or she will correct him. — When I came, I didn't expect to work here. Previously, it was said: work for four or five years and then you need to leave, change, — the director begins. — But I realized that four years is not enough when you are building your theater and you have a vision of it inside. Because what is happening now in the theatrical world is some kind of small bacchanalia. People have gone mad, managing two or three theaters...

      The artistic director of Kachalovsky hinted at the activities of Ilgiz Zainiev, who divides his working time between the State Council, the "Ekiyat" theater, and the Kamal theater. Slavutsky noted that he could have worked that way himself — he was offered to head the Youth Theater during Marsel Taishiev's time in the '90s.

      This season, Kachalovsky performed 373 shows for 155,071 viewers — this is 97.12% occupancy, the director pointed out. Slavutsky keeps track of attendance and audience reactions: every evening he receives videos of applause at the end of the performance.

      Elena Ryashina will play Ranevskaya. Provided by the press service of the Kachalovsky Theater

      The theater released two premieres. In November, the artistic director's son Ilya Slavutsky staged "Ghosts" by Henrik Ibsen (16+), and his father in April staged "Love for Three Oranges" (6+) — a play based on Carlo Gozzi, written by Mikhail Svetlov.

      — I made a performance for children and adults, for joint viewing. They watch together. So I am satisfied with this result, — noted Slavutsky and reminded that he started with this same play at Kachalovsky. — I staged it myself, made the decorations, the model. Ilya broke it in childhood.

      Additionally, the theater hosted the fourth Kachalovsky festival with guests from the "Workshop of Peter Fomenko," the Yanka Kupala Theater in Minsk, the Alexandrinka, and the Moscow Drama Theater named after Pushkin. Graduates of the School-Studio of MKHAT performed here, lighting technicians and theater studies students underwent internships — from Boris Lyubimov's workshop, the father of the Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation. As part of the exchange, the "Baltic House" was a guest for four days.

      — Their theater is led by Shub, a former literary manager, a literate, reasonable person, they have such a situation, — said Slavutsky and immediately added. — I believe that a theater should be led by a director, a creative person. In short, the tours went wonderfully. We need to show our audiences good theaters, not worse than us, bringing someone to look beautiful against the background.

      Slavutsky himself staged "Love for Three Oranges" again this season. Provided by the press service of the Kachalovsky Theater

      "The Cherry Orchard" will be moved, artists are being sought

      This season, the theater is preparing three performances. "The Cherry Orchard," staged in 2004, is being moved from the small stage to the large one. They realized it could be played on a more impressive stage back in 2015 when it was shown at the Festival of Russian Art in Marseille. Now — new scenography, costumes, and actors.

      — Will Firs be old? — colleagues ask.

      — No. Firs will be young, Marat Golubev, — Slavutsky reported about the 48-year-old People's Artist of Tatarstan. Also in the cast are Pavel Lazarev, Regina Gabbazova, Anna Makarova, Lyudmila Sidorova, Ivan Krushin, Alexey Kruchnin. In the role of Ranevskaya — Elena Ryashina.

      "The Cherry Orchard" is written about departure, Slavutsky pointed out, describing the scenography, particularly the portal from where the actors will appear: "from the depths, from the starry sky, from where the night, the cold."

      — My Sasha Patrakov has died, you understand, this is a serious loss, — Slavutsky recalled his constant partner, who passed away in November 2024. Adding that without the artist, of course, "it's still hard to live." Therefore, now Ilya Slavutsky went to the graduation exams at the School-Studio of MKHAT to look for candidates for the vaudeville of Count Vladimir Sollogub from 1850 "Trouble from a Tender Heart" about a Tambov millionaire searching for a bride in St. Petersburg — he is preparing the production for the season.

      Finally, "The Threepenny Opera" will also be updated because the permission for its use is being renewed — this performance is also planned to feature a fresh cast. Overall, glancing at the posters in the office, Slavutsky discovered a couple more performances that could easily be returned to the repertoire. The theater currently has 38 performances in its portfolio.

      Thus, the Slavutskys welcome the emergence of young talent in the theater in every way. There would be more directors, but their arrival needs to be planned in advance. Moreover, Kachalovsky loves performances for a long time… In particular, Igor Konyayev, who staged "The Forest" by Ostrovsky and "The Taming of the Shrew" by Shakespeare in the last decade — his "Living Pictures of the Blockade" was brought by the "Baltic House" — recently got acquainted with the troupe.

      It is also difficult to update the repertoire of the small hall. It is necessary for it to work simultaneously with the large one, as the small hall means less money. But for this, a large troupe is needed.

      Slavutsky's desk. Note the screen. Radiif Kashapov / realnoevremya.ru

      And there are still no new playwrights

      It's even harder with playwrights — the director still does not see potential in contemporaries. However, in "The Inspector," people are wiping away tears.

      — What are they sorry for? They feel sorry for us, they feel sorry for the country, — says Slavutsky. — I said that I will not die until we win. There is no country better than ours. I think so, I could be wrong... Just when they said that we need to hang the letter Z, we immediately hung it all on the screen. Other theaters — I don't want to criticize them, but they removed it after a week. You know, they are embarrassed. And I am not embarrassed, this is my homeland, this is my land.

      Slavutsky recalled the story of his mother. She spent five years in a camp because in response to the suggestion to sign papers after her first husband was declared an enemy of the people, she threw an inkwell at the investigator:

      — She said, this is how it should be. And my parents never spat in the direction of their country. Therefore, maybe I was not taught foreign languages, we had no way out abroad, there was no such freedom, so I got the opportunity to love only what I have next to me, — noted Slavutsky and criticized the RT Committee for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, which, according to him, demanded to remove the screen with the letter Z from the theater building designated as an object of cultural heritage, but the theater supported the head of Tatarstan.

      The troupe in the theater is being renewed. Before the meeting with journalists, Slavutsky looked at three graduates of the cultural institute from the workshop of Lydia Ogareva and Alevtina Kazyrova.

      On the other hand, Kristina Andreeva, who joined the theater in 2022, is leaving: she found new love in Minsk, which has become almost native for Kachalovsky, and is leaving because she is getting married. But Slavutsky vowed that if anything, he would take her back.

      Radiif Kashapov